WANLI SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1573-1619)

Bowls of this type and pattern appear to have been exported to the near East, as nine of them were in the collection of Shah Abbas and two are illustrated by J.A. Pope, Chinese Porcelain from the Ardebil Shrine, Washington, D.C., 1956, pls. 83 and 84. The author mentions, p. 127, the change in the tone of blue on the different bowls, as well as variations in the painting of the unusual scene, as can be seen on the two bowls illustrated. On the present bowl, a difference of intensity of the blue is visible on the exterior and interior. Compare, also, another similar bowl illustrated by R. Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, London, 1986, vol. II, p. 720, no. 1268.